


Always with you

by TheGardenFairy



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Kinda, M/M, feat. jeonghan being shady, jihoon knows what's up, soulmate energy, sum humour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:22:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27943703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGardenFairy/pseuds/TheGardenFairy
Summary: Through highs and lows, through thick and thin, in rain or shine, Mingyu has unwaveringly been by Wonwoo's side.What happens when Wonwoo finally notices it?
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu
Comments: 12
Kudos: 216





	Always with you

**Author's Note:**

> *joshua voice* surpriiiiise  
> I don't know what is this. All I know is that I miss meanie daily :(

"Two steps back," Soonyoung says loudly, staring at everyone through the mirror, "and pa, pa, pa!"

Wonwoo follows along the rest of them without much difficulty. It's almost been a decade they have been training together like this, so no one asks Soonyoung to be more specific about the moves he just showed them. They have reached a point that relaying choreography between them comes naturally.

"Now, starting from Seungkwan and Minghao, slowly step back in a reverse triangle formation, like dun, dun, dun!" Soonyoung starts walking backwards, each step on a different beat. "Mingyu and Wonwoo, go to the front and do your parts here," he adds before Wonwoo can follow the triangle.

"Should we do something specific?" Mingyu asks, taking a few steps forwards.

"You can come up with something if you want," Soonyoung shrugs. "Wonwoo, come on."

Wonwoo comes to stand next to Mingyu as Soonyoung points at the triangle formation to separate in the middle so everyone can go to their positions for the refrain.

That is familiar too, Wonwoo realizes as he looks at a smiling Mingyu. How many times has Soonyoung given him choreography with Mingyu? He does not want to let his mind wander in the middle of dance practice, but something tells him it's been many times.

"Are we going to do what we always do?" Mingyu whispers to him.

All the more proof that they've been here before.

"Just stand still and look cool? I'm in," Wonwoo snickers.

Mingyu nods easily, not wanting to complicate things, and Wonwoo is grateful.

"Oh, and if you could do something other than standing still and looking cool it would be appreciated!" Soonyoung calls over to them.

Wonwoo makes an offended face at him. How dare he call them out like this? They are not _that_ predictable, are they?

"Don't worry, we can improvise on stage," Mingyu murmurs to him.

"And no improvising on stage!" Soonyoung echoes.

"Oh come on!" Mingyu whines. "This is our moment, let us do what we want with it!"

Soonyoung sighs. Wonwoo would pity him under other circumstances, but he is wholly on Mingyu's side with this.

"We can talk about this after practice," Soonyoung settles. "Now come back here, Mingyu from the left, Wonwoo from the right. Find your positions and go! Bam, bam, bam!"

They continue learning the dance dutifully, no complaints and no questions. Nobody wants to make this harder than it already is, because Soonyoung's choreographies are always too damn hard.

It is always worth it in the end though, and Wonwoo can live with a little extra sweat if it means their performance will satisfy their fans. He trusts Soonyoung with this wholeheartedly.

That doesn't mean that he doesn't get a bit curious about the reason he always makes him share parts with Mingyu. Now that Wonwoo has noticed it, he keeps thinking about it. It has been like this ever since their debut. Sometimes it is small things, like making a formation together, but there are other times like this that they straight up occupy the center of the stage by themselves.

It's not like Wonwoo minds doing this with Mingyu, they communicate pretty well between them. But it still is a little bizarre.

After the practice is over, they go to their dressing room to change out of their sweat drenched clothes. The atmosphere is light, there are many conversations blooming here and there. Somewhere behind him, Wonwoo can hear Junhui explaining something to Jisoo in lightning speed, and Minghao repeating everything after him so the other can understand him.

"This is actually terrifying," Jisoo looks between the two of them concerned.

"Why?" Minghao tilts his head.

"How do you understand him?" Jisoo asks.

Junhui mumbles something again, and perhaps it is because Wonwoo is a bit too far away that he doesn't catch a single word. On the other hand, it looks like Jisoo doesn't either.

"He says I've been exposed to him for far too long to not be able to understand every little thing he says. Every little _stupid_ thing he says, may I add," Minghao side glances Junhui.

Jisoo stares at him intensely. "How are you doing this?!" he hisses, full of distrust.

On the other side of the room, Soonyoung is laughing with Jihoon while stuffing his clothes in his bag. Wonwoo pulls his shirt down and walks over to them. It is decidedly the less weird company.

"Hey," he says.

"Well hello there good sir," Soonyoung grins at him. "Good job today, I want to tell this to everyone. We did good!"

"Yes we did," Wonwoo agrees. "I'm not even that tired."

"We have a schedule in two hours and more practice in the night," Jihoon points out. "We don't have time to be tired."

"Well if you put it like that..." Wonwoo pushes his glasses up his nose.

It is a busy day today, but at least they can get these small breaks in between. In those two hours, they somehow all have to shower and get camera-ready, which should be stressful on its own. It isn't though, because they can make small talk in between and get their minds off things. This is one if the perks of being in a group and not having a solo career. You never get lonely.

"I've been meaning to ask," Wonwoo asks conversationally as they exit the changing room. "How come you always give Mingyu and I parts together in choreos?"

"Huh?" Soonyoung looks at him confused. "I do?"

"Yeah, like, in a whole bunch of songs," Wonwoo says, patting his neck with a towel to wipe the sweat. "Including today."

Soonyoung stops in his tracks and blinks at him a few times. "Huh. Now that I think about it, I really do that," he says thoughtfully.

"You haven't noticed?" Jihoon asks with a grin.

"No, not really," Soonyoung looks genuinely surprised at this. "Wow, now I can't stop thinking about it."

"Right?" Wonwoo chuckles. "So you don't have a reason to do it?"

"No, I don't. It just seems like the natural thing to do to keep you close, I guess. You guys fit together," Soonyoung tries to explain.

"That is even more strange."

"No, wait, I don't mean it in a strange way," Soonyoung slaps his arm. "I mean that you both have very strong stage presence, and it looks good when you combine it."

"Just say that you think they look good together," Jihoon pipes up, and it's his turn to receive a slap on the arm.

"Don't make this weird!" Soonyoung says.

Wonwoo ponders this for a few moments. He knows both he and Mingyu look good on stage. They wouldn't be idols if they didn't, and that's the sad truth.

But do they look good _together_? That's a whole different thing to think about.

"But anyway, I haven't forgotten about your part today," Soonyoung says. "Now that you made me notice it, I won't allow another song of you two just standing still while rapping. Yeah, it looks cool, but you literally do it every time."

Wonwoo sighs in acceptance. "Alright, let me get Mingyu so we can discuss this."

~~~

Wonwoo had not been tired after they finished their first dance practice, but he is certainly exhausted by the time it is time to sleep. He was one of the firsts to hop in the shower, thank god, and now he is finally in his pajamas in his room.

"My hand cream has run out," Mingyu mumbles from his side if the room.

"Take mine," Wonwoo tosses him the small container from his desk absent-mindedly.

He doesn't need to look to know that Mingyu catches it. He hears its lid opening, and he can imagine Mingyu spreading the white cream over his palms. It is not two minutes later that he puts up his hand and Mingyu tosses it back.

"Thank you," he murmurs.

Wonwoo merely nods and brings his phone back to his face. A moment later, he lowers it back down and glances at Mingyu. Since when have interactions like these become the normal for him?

When he had learned that they were moving to their new dorms, he had been excited to finally get his own room, and he had been equally annoyed that fate had other plans for him.

Every person needs their personal place, and that is something Wonwoo has been deprived of for many years. Yet as he stares at the hand cream still clutched between his fingers, he realizes that he doesn't feel like this anymore.

Sharing a room with Mingyu is not like when he had been sleeping on a mattress in the living room. For some reason, he doesn't feel like he has no privacy. The atmosphere is peaceful, like it would have been if he was alone.

Wonwoo glances back at Mingyu in thought. Since when has the other felt like an extension of himself? Wonwoo thinks about how it would be like if he suddenly got a room for himself now. And even if a few months ago he could have easily listed the perks of it, now it's not that simple.

He likes having Mingyu around him, he always has. But apparently what he hadn't realized is that he likes having him in his personal space too.

He slowly gets up and makes his way to Mingyu's desk. Mingyu doesn't immediately react to his movement, having been used to his presence as much as Wonwoo has. It’s when Wonwoo comes to stand behind him and places a hand on his shoulder that he looks up at him.

"Hello?" he smiles at him.

"Here," Wonwoo hands him the hand cream.

Mingyu takes it in confusion. "I already used it."

"I'm giving it you. As a present," Wonwoo explains.

"You're giving me a used hand cream as a present?" Mingyu is still confused as Wonwoo nods. "What's the occasion?"

"Um... Thank you for being a good roommate, I guess..." Wonwoo scratches the back of his head awkwardly.

Maybe he didn't think this through.

"Oh," Mingyu straightens up. "That's sweet of you. Thank you," he smiles again.

"You’re welcome," Wonwoo moves to go back to his own desk.

"Wait," Mingyu pushes the wheels of his chair to follow him. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but what brought this on?"

Yeah, Wonwoo definitely didn't think this through.

"It's just..." he begins, sitting down opposite of Mingyu. "I like this. Sharing a room with you."

Mingyu's smile widens. "It's not the inconvenience we thought it would be in the beginning, right?"

"Right," Wonwoo nods.

"I thought that might be the case. We've always been together, this isn't any different," Mingyu says, leaning back against his chair.

"We've always been together?" Wonwoo asks.

"Well... yeah," it's Mingyu's turn to be embarrassed. "Ever since we were trainees, we've stuck together. Like… I don’t know, SpongeBob and Patrick? At least that's how it is in my mind."

Wonwoo tries to hold back a smile. This had no business sounding as cute as it did, especially considering it was the truth.

"We make a good team," Wonwoo leans forward to ruffle Mingyu's hair. "This is how it is in my mind."

"Right," Mingyu's cheeks turn a little pinker. "Thank you again, for the cream."

"Don't mention it," Wonwoo pulls away. "I'm glad I gave you something you need."

Mingyu's eyes snap up to him. He opens his mouth to say something, but immediately regrets it and stops himself.

"I'll go back to my desk then," he says instead, bringing his hand to pat Wonwoo's back.

His fingers linger a bit though, as if he doesn't quite want to let go. Wonwoo too closes his eyes, as if he doesn't want him to pull away either. It's bizarre, but the moment is over almost immediately.

Wonwoo returns to his phone, a little happier than before.

~~~

"Wonwoo, you're with Mingyu," the director tells him, handing him the cards with his lines. "Take some time to rehearse this, and we can start the interview in two hours."

Mingyu grins at him, accepting his own set of cards. Wonwoo should be glad that he gets to be a presenter with Mingyu among everyone, he is the one with the Inkigayo experience to make things easier.

Yet once again, he can't help but notice that Mingyu is the only one with him, while the rest of them get to stuff their faces with the snacks on the side of the room.

Snacks that were meant for staff, and definitely not dieting idols in preparation for a comeback.

Seokmin and Jeonghan swallow and entire slice of cake each, with Soonyoung timing them to see who can finish it the fastest.

"AGRULUDNFNDND!" Seokmin is trying to communicate.

"Agruludnfndnd!" Soonyoung answers him, even though his mouth is not full of cake, and he could have spoken properly.

Yeah, they are all getting their asses whooped when one of their manager finds out about what they are doing. Well, probably not Jeonghan, because he'll definitely come up with an excuse, but he is guaranteed to throw the other two under the bus if it comes to it.

Maybe it is better that Wonwoo doesn't join them this time. And maybe it is better that Mingyu is with him too, so he doesn't have to be worried about him.

"Come on, let's get backstage," Mingyu tugs at his sleeve. "I don't think we'll have to go over these lines more than once, they look pretty easy."

Wonwoo averts his gaze from the cake match and focuses it back on his job. Mingyu must have noticed him though, because he chuckles and puts an arm around his shoulders.

"Does someone want cake?" he cooes.

"In the middle of a diet? Not today, satan," Wonwoo shakes his head, trying to get the image of the chocolate cake out of his mind.

"Alright, I'll get you some," is all Mingyu says, before he stealthily walks over to the snack table.

Wonwoo watches amused as he tries to take a few slices of that damn cake without anyone noticing. This is Mingyu though, so a feat like that is virtually impossible.

"Hi M'ngu," Jeonghan's eyes lock on him, even though his face is still full of cake and competition.

"Hellooo," Mingyu says innocently, pretending he is doing nothing illegal. "I'm going now."

With three slices of cake safely secured on a napkin, he makes his way back to Wonwoo. He nudges him to hurry ahead and get out of the field of vision of any potential manager.

"You didn't have to do this," Wonwoo smiles at him when they are semi-alone, on the long corridor of the studio they are spending their entire day in.

"I wanted to," Mingyu winks.

Wonwoo chuckles once again, getting irrationally excited at the small act of rebellion. It's like they are trainees again, sneaking chips and ice cream in their dorm, and staying up late to eat them under the blankets after everyone else has fallen asleep.

They reach their dressing room, and Wonwoo glances at the cards in his hand once again. A part of him still finds it weird that once again, it's him and Mingyu together, but another part of him wouldn't have it any other way.

"Let's sit here," he pulls Mingyu's arm to sit down on the small couch.

Mingyu sits entirely too close to him. He still has a conspiratorial look on his face as he brings the cake between their laps and takes a bite out of the first slice.

"Mmm," he moans, "it a' deli'ious a' it look," he says through a mouthful.

Diet be damned, Wonwoo takes another slice and practically inhales it. It's been so long since he last ate chocolate. Too long.

"Good?" Mingyu asks him.

Wonwoo nods fervently. "It's even better now that it is illegal," he says after he swallows.

"And free," Mingyu agrees, and they both giggle together like the fifteen-year-olds they are at heart.

"Anyway," Wonwoo licks his lips after swallowing another bite. "You start first, greeting the audience."

"Yeah, yeah," Mingyu brings his first card in front of his face.

They start rehearsing, pausing to eat cake here and there. They finish the three slices entirely too soon, making sure that they leave no evidence of them anywhere around the dressing room.

They are almost done with reading their lines, until the door sneakily opens, revealing none other than Yoon Jeonghan.

"Well, well, well, what do we have hear?" he says, approaching them on the couch.

"We're going over our lines," Wonwoo replies.

"Mhm," Jeonghan arches an eyebrow. "Is that all you're doing?"

"What else would we be doing?" Mingyu gets defensive, sensing the threat.

"Oh I don't know... Perhaps sneaking backstage to eat some of the cake you are not allowed to?" Jeonghan smirks.

Wonwoo exchanges a look with Mingyu. He could argue that Jeonghan himself has been eating cake with Seokmin and Soonyoung, but let's be real here, the managers would never believe him over Jeonghan.

"Okay," he says in the end, feeling like it's up to him to protect both Mingyu and himself. "What do you want?"

"I was here with you the entire time. We didn't get out of the dressing room to eat cake at any point. The others finished it without us," Jeonghan states briefly.

"What? They finished it all?" Mingyu's eyes widen.

"That's the concept," Jeonghan nods at him.

"Alright, but the managers won't take our word over Seungcheol's," Wonwoo points out.

"That's why we'll have evidence," Jeonghan takes out his phone and promptly places his butt over their linked thighs. "Smile!" he points the camera at all three of them, making sure the background of the dressing room is also visible.

Mingyu wraps his arm around both of them, putting the cards with the lines in the frame, which is very smart of him. It leaves no room to doubt what they have been doing all this time.

When Jeonghan shows them the picture later, Wonwoo is surprised by how genuinely happy he looks leaning against Mingyu's arm.

~~~

"Oh, you're here too?" Mingyu smiles when he sees Wonwoo approaching the door of Jihoon's studio.

"You too?" Wonwoo almost can't believe this.

It was fine when it was choreography, or simply doing their jobs together, or even that they shared a room by chance.

But what reason did Jihoon have to call them to record at the same time?

"That's great, this will be less tiring then," Mingyu leans back against the wall as Wonwoo stands next to him.

"How so?" he asks.

"I don't know," Mingyu shrugs. "Sharing the burden? Things always seem easier when you're around."

Wonwoo looks at the ground. He can't understand how Mingyu can say stuff like these so casually. And more importantly, he can't understand why he can't say it back without making a big deal about it. They are friends, surely Mingyu feels like this with the rest of them too, right?

"And the strange thing is, this only ever happens to this degree with you," Mingyu continues obliviously.

Wonwoo can't help but snicker, not being able to reveal his thoughts. "You're weird," he says good-naturedly.

"And you keep coming back to me," Mingyu pulls his hand and brings him closer, a soft smile on his face.

"O-of course I do," Wonwoo says. "We are good together."

"We are," Mingyu nods.

This conversation feels more intimate than usual. Perhaps they shouldn't be having it right outside Jihoon's studio, but here they are.

"Mingyu, I-" Wonwoo starts speaking, but then, the door slams open.

"Wooo!" Chan bursts out, his already huge grin widening when he sees them. "This was a bomb ass recording! I love this song guys, make sure you put all your love in it as well!"

"That's why they are here together," Jihoon pokes his head out of his cavern as well.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Wonwoo asks him.

"It means that I trust Chan to put enough passion on his rap without any exterior motivation. You on the other hand..." he smirks.

Wonwoo isn't even offended. "No one will ever have as much passion as Chan. He is gifted and you know it."

"Oh come on, that's not true," Chan tries to be modest.

"Wonwoo is right, and I have to find ways to compensate for that," Jihoon nods.

"I don't understand," Mingyu looks confused.

Jihoon sighs. "Just get inside, both of you."

"Fighting!" Chan bumps his fist on both their shoulders as good luck, before he turns to leave.

Jihoon goes to sit behind all his equipment, pointing at Mingyu to get in the recording booth.

"Alright, you can see your lines in the paper in there, right?" Jihoon asks Mingyu as he taps away.

"Yes sir," Mingyu says in the microphone.

"Practice a bit if you want, I'll start the music soon," Jihoon speaks into his own microphone. "I don't think I can word it better than Chan did. Make sure your voice shows that you love this song."

"I'll try my best," Mingyu puts on his headphones, before his mic gets briefly muted. His eyes fleetingly meets Wonwoo's, and Wonwoo gets reminded of his own seemingly unnecessary presence in the room.

"What do you want me to do?" he asks Jihoon, trying not to get in the way.

"You can sit here, where he can see you," Jihoon replies without looking up from his monitor.

"Why?" Wonwoo asks, approaching him anyway.

"Don't worry about it," Jihoon waves him off. "Pay attention to what I say to him though. Your lines are right after his, so it would be great if they carried the same emotion."

"Okay," Wonwoo says simply, returning his gaze inside the booth.

Mingyu's mouth is moving, probably doing some last-minute practice as Jihoon instructed him, but no sound reaches the place they are.

Wonwoo has not only learned his own rap by heart, but Mingyu's also, because it is right before his. Just like Soonyoung does with their choreographies, Jihoon also makes sure that their lines in the song are close to each other. Whereas Soonyoung hadn't noticed though, Jihoon is way too careful about the structure of his precious songs to be doing this accidentally.

"Okay, we're ready Mingyu," Jihoon unmutes the microphone again. The files of their songs are up on his screen, with Mingyu's times highlighted.

"I'm ready too," Mingyu nods at him through the glass.

"Alright, let's try to do this on the first try!" Jihoon claps, looking pumped up for some reason. "Here, wish him luck too," Jihoon moves to the side to let Wonwoo speak as well.

"Me?" Wonwoo's eyebrows rise in surprise.

"Sure," Jihoon motions him over.

"Uhh," Wonwoo leans down to speak to the microphone. "Good luck Mingyu," he says awkwardly.

He hears laughter coming from inside the booth, and Jihoon pushes him back once again.

"That was painful," he makes a face at him. "But I hope it worked."

"What worked?" Wonwoo is tired of not understanding what is going on.

" _Don't worry about it_ ," Jihoon shushes him again. "I'm playing the music Mingyu."

Wonwoo watches as Mingyu smiles at him one last time, and then gets immersed in the melody. He has a nice part this time, right after the dance break. Usually, Jihoon would put either Seokmin or Seungkwan to sing after the rest of them are mostly out of breath, but Mingyu has improved so much recently that this was worth a try.

"And... stop," Jihoon cuts the recording. "This was not bad Mingyu. I'm glad to see that you're in the right mood, it will make things a lot easier."

_Things always seem easier when you're around._ The thought flashes so loudly in Wonwoo's head, wondering if it could actually be true. Mingyu probably thinks about that as well, because his eyes briefly meet Wonwoo's before they focus back on Jihoon.

"Try holding the vowel at the end a bit longer, make it a bit softer," Jihoon adds, ready to replay the music. "And if he starts strong and goes soft, you can do the exact opposite, like a wave," Jihoon grins at Wonwoo, satisfied by the prospect of it.

"Alright, I'm ready, play it again," Mingyu says, and Jihoon promptly does.

He does start strong, exactly like one would expect after a dance break, but through the middle and towards the end of his lines his voice gets more gentle. Jihoon is a genius. This change fits the song so much, and Wonwoo already has ideas about what he is going to do next.

"Good," Jihoon cuts the recording once more. "The diversity in your voice is obvious like we want it to, now let's focus on making the transition smoother."

"Alrighty," Mingyu adjust his headphones.

"Aaaand go."

This time, along with the pretty words that come out of Mingyu's mouth, his expressions change as well. His eyes start closing the gentler his voice gets and apart from hearing it, Wonwoo can now see the start of the wave Jihoon was talking about, the wave they are going to create together.

Mingyu is so much more expressive this time. His face, his body, his whole being. It reflects in his voice as well, and Wonwoo closes his own eyes to hear him sing.

"And... stop," Jihoon says as the music stops.

Wonwoo sighs deeply, his shoulders slumping a bit.

"What was that?" Jihoon abruptly turns to him.

"What was what?" Wonwoo asks him.

"That sigh. Did you like this?" Jihoon elaborates.

Of course Wonwoo did. It was just as Chan said. While listening Mingyu sing, he could hear the love in his voice, he could tell that the person behind the mic loved what they were doing.

"I liked it," Wonwoo admits. "I don't think it can get any better."

He doesn't know where this certainty is coming from, especially since this is Jihoon's field and not his, but he somehow knows. Because this is Mingyu, and he knows Mingyu. He knows how loving he can get, he knows how he expresses it.

"I really liked it..." he says, more quietly, pulling the edges of his sleeves over his fingers.

"I see..." Jihoon eyes him. "Let's do a few more takes anyway, just to have a variety to pick from. Mingyu," Jihoon opens his mic, "Wonwoo here loved this take, just letting you know."

"Wait!" Wonwoo feels his cheeks heat up as he tries to drag Jihoon away from the mic. "Why would you say that?!"

Jihoon just shrugs.

Mingyu though gives him a thumbs up behind the glass, a pleased smile on his face, and Wonwoo just feels more flustered for some reason. He can't focus on the rest of the recordings, but it doesn't matter. He's certain that they cannot top the third one, and it's only a matter of time until Jihoon sees it too.

"Who would have thought, you were right," he tells Wonwoo as he puts away Mingyu's files away and starts pulling out new ones. "Mingyu you can come out," he says in the microphone.

"Really? We got it so fast?" his surprise is visible. He practically dashes out of the room and joins them on Jihoon's desk. "Which one is it?"

"The one Wonwoo liked, of course," Jihoon says absent-mindedly. "If anyone can recognize the love in your voice, it's him."

"Oh, yeah?" Mingyu turns to Wonwoo, who wishes he could just about disappear.

"I don't know what he's talking about," he tells Mingyu. "But yeah, that recording sounded very nice. Good job," he pats Mingyu's back, without meeting his gaze.

"Thank you," Mingyu manages to catch his hand mid-air. He doesn't let go of it. "So is this it? I can leave?" he turns to Jihoon.

"No, no, you're staying as long as Wonwoo," Jihoon says.

"Why are you doing this?" Wonwoo asks seriously. "We keep asking you and you avoid us."

Jihoon slowly twists his chair around to look at him. His eyes flicker to Mingyu, and then back at him, and he looks totally unimpressed.

"You are holding hands as we speak, yet you have to ask why I keep you around each other when I need you to show love to a song?"

"Hey!" it's Mingyu's turn to blush, immediately dropping Wonwoo's hand.

"You're not funny Jihoon," Wonwoo glares at him.

"Whatever, as long as I can get my song ready," Jihoon dismisses him once again. "Go on, your turn."

Wonwoo sighs deeply and stands up. He enters the booth, and everything goes silent. In the quietness, he tries to erase that last exchange from his mind, and bring his mood back to what it was while he was listening to Mingyu.

His attention can't help but fall on the other side of the glass though. Mingyu and Jihoon are talking, and Mingyu has a deep frown on his face. Jihoon rolls his eyes and shrugs at some point, and Mingyu turns his back to leave.

Oh...

_So he won't stay to hear me,_ is what Wonwoo thinks and he immediately wants to slap himself. Since when had he needed Mingyu to be present in one of his recording sessions? The prick of disappointment at his departure is irrational.

Yet, as irrational as it is, Wonwoo finds more trouble than before in getting back to the right mood. Even as Jihoon gives him instructions, even as the music starts playing, Wonwoo knows he is not feeling it.

He tries once, twice, until Jihoon doesn't know what to tell him anymore other than "love the song".

"Come on, one more time, you've got this," Jihoon tries to encourage him. "Remember, gentle at the beginning, power at the end."

The music starts, and Wonwoo softens his rap as much as possible. He is uncertain at what part exactly he should start adding volume, and something tells him that this will also be a failed attempt.

But then the door of Jihoon's studio opens up a tiny bit. It's barely a crack, made so the people in the room won't notice it.

Wonwoo notices it.

He sees the tall figure of Mingyu pressing his ear against the opening, like a child that doesn't want to get caught. It's cute, and what's even cuter is that Mingyu maybe actually wanted to listen to him after all. What other reason would he have to turn back?

Wonwoo raises his voice without even realizing, not until he finishes and he feels energized.

"That actually was pretty good," Jihoon tells him.

It's so stupid. Wonwoo can't believe this. He can't believe that he only managed to get it right because he saw _Mingyu_ doing childish things. Jihoon makes him record a bit more, longer attempts than Mingyu's own, but in the end, he nods satisfied. Mingyu has left about halfway through, but it didn't matter this time. The fact that he even returned briefly was more than enough.

"Not gonna lie, I think we got it pretty early," Jihoon says once Wonwoo closes the door of the booth behind him. "I think my plan was successful."

"Jihoon. Not this again," Wonwoo warns.

"It is no coincidence you guys are always together. I just wanted to test out if you perform better like this, that's all. It doesn't have to be weird."

"But it is," Wonwoo says quietly. "We _are_ always together. More than we have ever been, really."

"You share a room, it's natural."

"We share so much more than a room," Wonwoo shakes his head.

At that, Jihoon doesn't reply. A beat of silence passes before he decides to speak.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable today. I didn't think you'd take it seriously."

"It's okay," Wonwoo sighs. "We did get fast results, didn't we?" he smiles at the absurdity of the situation.

"We did. Be proud of yourself, Wonwoo. You're doing great," Jihoon reassures him.

"Thank you." Wonwoo does feel a little better hearing this.

He walks out of the studio a little lightheaded. After all, pouring emotions in a song would leave anyone a little drained. That's all Wonwoo is willing to acknowledge.

~~~

"Wonwoo, do you have a minute?" Mingyu pokes his head in their room one afternoon.

"I'm trying to edit some clips, is it important?" Wonwoo says, chewing at his bottom lip while looking at his computer screen.

"Oh, you are?" Mingyu walks inside and looks at his work. "That's funny, this was actually the next thing I was going to ask your help for."

At that, Wonwoo twirls his chair to finally look at him. Mingyu is wearing a hoodie, which means he's been outside before coming here. There is also his camera in his left hand, the green light shining, which means it is open and ready for use.

"Were you filming something?" Wonwoo asks, his interest in editing his own shoots slowly leaving him.

"Yes actually, Seungkwan and I were on the roof just now. I was filming his singing, but his voice is too powerful for this neighborhood," Mingyu scratches the back of his neck awkwardly.

"What did you do?" Wonwoo tries to hold back his smile.

"We might have gotten a noise complaint..." Mingyu says sheepishly.

"Noise complaint? For Seungkwan's beautiful voice? There must be something wrong with our neighbors' ears," Wonwoo rolls his eyes.

"Well, to be fair, we were loud," Mingyu doesn't even try to defend himself. "And we decided to call off the filming before we got into any actual trouble."

"Okay. How can I help?" Wonwoo asks.

"I actually don't want to miss the sunset," Mingyu sighs. "I want to capture the view of the city as the sun descends, but I don't want it to be the main focus of the frame. Help me?" he asks hopefully.

This sounds like Mingyu alright. Even though he appreciates the natural beauty of their surroundings in the way anyone who is interested in filmography would, he is more interested in the human nature. Of course we wouldn't be satisfied with making a time lapse of a sunset if there aren't any actual people to witness it with him.

"Let me get my coat then," Wonwoo says, not feeling at all guilty that he is abandoning his own work.

"Ah, thank you so much!" Mingyu looks pleased already. "Can I start recording now?" he lifts his camera in front of his face.

"Sure," Wonwoo pulls his coat over his pajamas.

He is in the process of trying to locate some socks when he hears the click of the camera.

"Oh you meant _now_ now?" he looks up at Mingyu, only to see the camera pointed at him. "I'm just looking for socks. Nothing interesting here."

"Let me be the judge of that," Mingyu murmurs.

Wonwoo shakes his head amused, and proceeds to get ready for going to the rooftop. With Mingyu's camera still trained on him, he keeps thinking about this hobby of theirs. After all those things he has been noticing lately, he doesn't think it is merely a coincidence that among all of their group members it is only them two that have picked up this hobby.

Even though they are so vastly different as people, they somehow still managed to keep the same interests after all those years. At this point, Wonwoo is almost convinced that is something that is never going to change. Mingyu will always be a person that Wonwoo can share everything with, not because they are friends, but because they are always in the same page in the book called life. They are two small words, right next to each other, on the same paragraph. Even if someone turns the page over, they are still going to be each other's before and after.

"Hurry up, we'll miss the sunset," Mingyu says after Wonwoo puts on his shoes.

They trek up the stairs to the rooftop of their dorm building, and luckily, the sun is still there to greet them.

"Come on, let's get close to the railings," Mingyu grabs his hand and leads them both towards the edge.

Wonwoo sees how the camera pans from his face to their linked hands. And when they reach the edge, where the orange sky stretches above Seoul and highlights its vastness, Mingyu slowly lifts the camera from their hands to capture the horizon.

The clouds make funny shapes with their shadows, getting darker and darker as the sun waves goodbye to them. The contrast is going to look great through the lens of a camera.

"This is going to be a beautiful shot," he tells Mingyu quietly.

The camera slowly turns at his words, until it is pointed at him again.

"It really is," Mingyu says, and Wonwoo can't help but smile.

"I mean the sky, Mingyu," he laughs a bit.

"A beautiful background is not enough to make an attractive picture," Mingyu replies.

"You're implying that I'm attractive?" Wonwoo takes a step back, the smile not leaving his face.

"Does it need to be implied?" Mingyu takes his eyes off his camera to look at him directly.

Wonwoo chuckles and turns back towards the view. He leans against the railing on his elbows, the sun hitting his glasses. He has no make-up on, and despite the coat, he is still in his pajamas. Yet Mingyu chose him to complete a picture with such a beautiful background.

This is a bizarre feeling. Wonwoo feels warm, and he has a feeling that it is not simply from the rays of the setting sun. He enjoys being here with Mingyu, his enjoys having his eyes on him over his camera. It feels right.

"I don't think that you complement the shot because you're good looking," Mingyu breaks the silence. "I think you just make me feel the way I want to feel when gazing at a sunset."

Wonwoo knows that the camera is still on him. This conversation is being recorded, but it doesn't matter. It doesn't make it any less real, any less important.

"How do you want to feel when gazing at a sunset?" he asks quietly, turning his head to look at his eyes.

Mingyu links their hands together again. "Complete. I feel complete."

He pulls Wonwoo a bit closer, the camera falling a bit to the side. Wonwoo can see his face clearly like this, and he likes what he sees. He likes the way Mingyu's eyes are so expensive, making it easy for him to understand the depth of his emotion.

Or maybe it is so easy to understand him because they are always together. And maybe this how they are supposed to be.

"The perfect shot," Wonwoo steps even closer, pushing the camera further down. "Is this it?"

Mingyu bites his lips. Wonwoo closes his eyes. The realization that he is not going to push Mingyu away now, no matter what he does, is not as terrifying as he might have thought.

He can practically feel Mingyu's breath ghosting over his face, he can inhale his scent, he can feel his presence all the way to his bones. A lot can happen now. Many things that would not be allowed under other circumstances. Wonwoo is not going to resist it.

In the end though, Mingyu just brings his hand to his lips and kisses his fingers gently.

Wonwoo opens his eyes. Mingyu is also looking at him. While they make eye contact, Mingyu turns his hand around and kisses the inside of his palm.

Wonwoo's lips part, the sensation that runs down his entire arm bringing him back to reality. His cheeks feel hot, and the way Mingyu is looking at him doesn't help at all.

"Now you are the same colour as the sunset," Mingyu smiles at him.

When Wonwoo turns back to look at the last remaining part of the sun, he sees the pink that paints the sky, the last remnant of the vibrant yellow that used to be in its place.

He chuckles and pulls away, and Mingyu's camera is immediately back on his face.

"Stop that," Wonwoo turns his head to the side to hide his blush, the amusement still there.

"I don't think I will," Mingyu angles the camera different to still get him.

Still laughing, Wonwoo starts walking away, making Mingyu run behind him to get full shots of him as the sky starts to darken. They run around the rooftop and giggle like kids, and perhaps this is how it was meant to be all along.

**Author's Note:**

> So, now that I'm reading this again, I think that maybe I can actually continue it? Don't take my word for it tho lol. It's been a while since I wrote something small, I kinda like it :D
> 
> This is just a side project, if you liked my writing, you should check some of my other fics :)
> 
> Thank you for reading, feedback is always appreciated!


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